Courage and Perseverance Theme Analysis

In The Happiest Refugee, Anh Do tells of his family’s struggles as they flee their native country of Vietnam to establish a new life in Australia. This is a journey full of perils—first as the family escapes Vietnam on a dangerous sea journey shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, and then as they face hardship and poverty in Australia. And yet, Anh overcomes many of the obstacles that he and his family face, and ends up as a successful comedian and celebrity in his adoptive land. Anh’s success is largely due to the values of courage and perseverance that often guide and orient his actions, values instilled in him by his parents—and which see him through to success and prosperity.

Both Anh’s father and mother embody the values of courage and perseverance in different ways. One of Anh’s father’s favourite mottos is “There are only two times in life, there’s now and there’s too late,” a motto which he repeats to his children over and over again, and which is absorbed by Anh. Indeed, on numerous occasions in his life, Anh’s father acts out of extreme courage. As a very young man, he saves his two brothers-in-law Thanh and Huy from the brutal work re-education camps to which they had been condemned in Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War. He does so by dressing up in the uniform of a high-ranking Communist official, then simply walking into the camp and demanding the release of the two men. This act of courage pays off: the camp guards are so terrified and confused by the appearance of this high-ranking government official that they hand over Anh’s brothers-in-law and let them walk out of the camp with him, without realizing that they are being tricked. Anh’s father is also the one who oversees the family’s escape on a boat out of Vietnam, being responsible for steering it through the open sea, and beyond the perils of pirates as well as storms. Anh’s father, of course, is not without his major flaws—eventually, he abandons his wife and children in Australia. However, even while he is estranged from his father, and in spite of his rage at him, Anh often finds himself turning to his father’s heroic moments for inspiration. In a different way, Anh’s mother also models the values of courage and perseverance, by providing for her children—at a great cost to herself—once the family is abandoned by Anh’s father. Anh’s mother works tirelessly to feed and clothe her children, as well as pay for their school fees so that they can receive a good education. In persevering in this way, she ensures that her children have a better life than she had.

Anh follows in his parents’ footsteps by acting on the values of courage and perseverance time and again in living out his own life. After finishing law school—an education which is intended to lift him, his mother, and his two younger siblings Khoa and Tram out of their poverty—he decides to abandon law for a career in comedy. Further, he does this in spite of a ready job offer from a large law firm upon graduation. Having had the courage to abandon the safe path of a law career, Anh works tirelessly to establish himself as a comedian, taking up any gigs—paid or unpaid—that come his way. Within a year and a half, he achieves what it takes many comedians a decade to accomplish, if they’re lucky: he wins one of Australia’s most important comedy prizes, and establishes himself as one of the country’s foremost comedians.

Anh not only reflects courage and perseverance when it comes to making choices about his career, but also when it comes to his personal life. In law school, he is smitten by Suzie, the beautiful blonde law student with a bright smile whom he meets on the first day of class. Time and again, Anh makes his feelings known to Suzie, and time and again, he suffers rejection, as Suzie tells him that while she appreciates his friendship, she has no romantic feelings for him. And yet, Anh doesn’t give up hoping. Shortly after Suzie breaks up with a boyfriend, he again makes his feelings known, and this time they are reciprocated by Suzie. While Anh’s perseverance in pursuing Suzie may seem problematic in some respects, his own account suggests that he was always respectful of Suzie’s feelings and wishes, and was content to simply remain friends with her, as she wanted them to be. Suzie’s own changed feelings towards Anh suggest that, while Anh repeatedly made his feelings known, he never did so in a way that disrespected her boundaries so that she was repelled. On the contrary: her love for him eventually develops and grows.

Anh’s courage and perseverance lead him to immense success and prosperity. By choosing courage over cowardice again and again, he ends up not only as an extremely successful comedian, he also establishes an acting career, and becomes a celebrity recognized by many Australians on the street. He also finds fulfilment in a happy family life, one that is full of love.

In many ways, Anh’s story is one of courage and perseverance, values instilled in him by his parents, who model these traits in overcoming obstacles they faced in making the difficult decision to leave Vietnam and start a new life elsewhere. While Anh’s father does let Anh and his siblings down, Anh nevertheless adapts many of his father’s good qualities—often turning to Tam’s feats of heroism for inspiration in his own life. In telling his life story, therefore, Anh emphasizes that courage and perseverance played crucial roles in leading him to the success and prosperity that he now enjoys.